CASE RESULTS

Good Samaritan Hit by Motor Vehicle Settles with 3 Insurance Carriers for Policy Limits

Our client stopped his vehicle to assist a disabled vehicle who had broken down on the shoulder of a Cook County highway.  As our client assisted the stranded person, another vehicle drove into the broken down vehicle at a high rate of speed.  This collision resulted in the vehicles violently impacting our client as he stood on the highway shoulder.  Our client suffered severe fractures to his right and left legs, scalp abrasions, a sprained right thumb, and strains to his chest wall.  Carriers for both vehicles argued that the Plaintiff was negligent for stopping his car in the middle of a roadway without his hazards lights on. During litigation against both Defendants, Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to secure a settlement totaling $250,000.00 for the Plaintiff.  This settlement included policy limits of $50,000 and $100,000 from each defendant, as well as the full policy limits of an additional $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage.    

Jury Returns Verdict for Plaintiff in Excess of Policy Limits

While working as a promotions person inside a suburban restaurant, our client was struck by a vehicle that crashed through the restaurant’s wall.  This bizarre accident caused our client to suffer multiple bulging discs.  Despite extensive litigation the Defendant insurance carrier refused to offer the policy limits of $100,000.00 and instead offered $35,000 as a final offer.  Not happy with the settlement offer, Steven J. Morton & Associates knew his client deserved more for her serious injuries and took the case to a jury trial.  Steven J. Morton & Associates won the trial and obtained a judgment against the Defendant, with the jury returning a verdict for over $185,000.00 in less than 30 minutes. We were then able to force the insurance company to pay the entire verdict, even though it was $85,000.00 above the defendant’s policy limits.   

Police Chase Case Settled for $3,000,000

Steven J. Morton & Associates recently settled a case against the Chicago Police Department for an accident that arose from an illegal pursuit.  Two Chicago Police officers initiated and continued the unauthorized and illegal chase of a vehicle.  This chase lead to the fleeing vehicle crashing into our client’s vehicle as she innocently traveled down a Chicago street. Our client, a healthy and outgoing 17 year old girl, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered severe brain injuries.  Her quality of life was dramatically affected by this accident.  Following four years of litigation and over 20 depositions, we were able to overcome the numerous legal hurdles of taking on the Chicago Police Department and obtained a $3,000,000.00 dollar settlement for our severely injured client following mediation.

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Settled

Our client, a diabetic, had presented to the hospital with foot sores and was released without proper care.  Only days later, the sores had engulfed his foot, causing it to become gangrenous and necessitating a below-the-knee amputation.  Steven J. Morton & Associates filed a medical malpractice lawsuit following the amputation of our client’s leg due to the clear negligence of a local hospital.  After the filing of the lawsuit, Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to facilitate a settlement of $1,450,000.00, while avoiding the time and cost associated with trial.

Nursing Home Negligence Results in Settlement for Plaintiff

While under the care of the nursing home, an elderly and diabetic gentleman went into hypoglycemic shock.  In an attempt to raise his blood sugar, a nursing home staff member poured 8 packets of sugar down his throat.  Sadly, he choked on the sugar and passed away.  This fact was concealed by the defendant nursing home, but Steven J. Morton & Associates represented the gentleman’s family in a lawsuit against the nursing home for their negligent treatment of the decedent.  After nearly three years of arduous litigation, Steven J. Morton & Associates obtained a settlement of $445,000.00 (the subject policy being $500,000) for the family of the deceased.

Rear-End Car Crash Settled

Our client, a DCFS worker in Lake County, reached a $950,000.00 settlement with a trucking company for an accident when our client was rear-ended by a tractor trailer while driving his vehicle in Lake County. Neither vehicle required repair. The client suffered injuries to his lumbar spine which caused him to endure physical therapy, epidural injections and, eventually, a lumbar fusion. The parties agreed to enter into non-binding mediation, and Steven J. Morton & Associates was successful in obtaining $950,000.00 of the $1,000,000.00 insurance policy. Plaintiff’s attorneys were also successful in getting the worker’s compensation lien waived as part of the settlement.

Construction Site Accident Settlement

Our client was a construction worker that was severely injured on the job when he fell from a construction wall with improper harness tie-ons.  After the horrific fall, he suffered multiple spinal fractures and brain damage.  Our client’s quality of life was substantially affected by the negligence of the construction company. Our office was able to secure a $2,400,000.00 settlement, not including a worker’s compensation award of over $200,000.00.

$239,000.00 Workers Compensation Settlement based upon Wage Differential

Steven J. Morton & Associates recently settled a worker’s compensation claim for $239,000.00. Our client had suffered a left elbow ligament tear w/ surgery resulting from an on-the-job injury.  After treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation, he was unable to fully return to his occupation. Our client was persistent in trying to obtain a different job and eventually found employment, but the difference between the job he obtained and the job he could no longer perform allowed our office to demand that the employer compensate him for the difference in the wages earned. We were able to secure a settlement that allowed for his resulting medical bills to be paid, as well as compensation his wage differential.

$850,000 Settlement for Elderly Victim

Our elderly client involved in an accident with an oncoming vehicle which without warning turned in front of him, causing a frontal collision. He was initially diagnosed with only a neck strain and back pain.  A day later he was admitted to a hospital with symptoms of confusion and complaining of a headache.  One hour following his arrival he lost consciousness and ultimately was diagnosed with having a left-sided intraparenchymal blood clot, for which he died shortly afterward. Despite the clear responsibility of the defendant for the accident and the man’s death, the insurance carrier forced years of arduous litigation upon the Plaintiffs. Our office fought to win the case and eventually Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to settle the case for the Plaintiff’s survivors for $850,000.

Head On Collision on I-90 Yields $121,000 Settlement

Our clients, two professional movers, were traveling eastbound on I-90 when the Defendant, traveling westbound, careened out of control, crossed the median, and caused a horrifying collision with our client’s moving van.  Both clients sustained serious injuries to their neck, back, shoulders and knees.  These serious injuries caused the movers to miss a considerable amount of work.  After months of litigation in Cook County, Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to settle the case for both clients for $121,000.00.

Policy Limits Obtained in Major Car Crash Case

Our client was driving in Niles, Illinois when his vehicle was t-boned by a driver who ran a red light.  The collision, at no fault of our client, resulted in severe property damage to both vehicles. Our client suffered soft-tissue back injuries, multiple broken ribs, and injuries to his internal organ.  The Defendant contended that the internal organ injuries were unrelated to the crash.  Steven J. Morton & Associates deposed our clients treating physicians and we were able to prove the relation between the crash and all injuries. The Defendant then offered the insurance policy limits of $100,000.00 to settle the case.

Defendant’s Failure to Stop leads to an $86,000 Settlement

Our client had the right of way as he entered a busy intersection in Cook County.  The Defendant ran a stop sign and violently crashed into the front of our client’s vehicle.  Our client was seriously injured as a result.  He suffered a tear to the meniscus of his left and right knee and sprains to his left MCL and LCL.  He was eventually forced to undergo surgery to repair the meniscal tear to his right knee.  Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to secure an $86,296.60 arbitration decision for our client.

A $900,000 Verdict for Plaintiff Returned

Our client was a department store clerk in her mid-thirties.  While at work, she was struck by a shelf that fell due to a faulty design. The shelf manufacturer admitted liability and agreed to the high/low limits of a verdict. The impact with the shelving caused our client to suffer a debilitating knee injury, requiring full knee replacement.  Our client’s matter proceeded to trial and the jury granted a $900,000.00 award. This $900,000.00 award did not include benefits the Plaintiff received under worker’s compensation.

Non-Surgery Back Injury Claim Settled in Arbitration

Steven J. Morton & Associates brought a lawsuit to a successful close following a non-binding mediation between the parties. The lawsuit resulted from our client’s involvement in a motor vehicle accident that occurred while he was working.  Following mediation, the parties were able to agree on a settlement of $75,000.00.  Because the accident occurred while the Plaintiff was at work, Steven J. Morton & Associates was also able to obtain a worker’s compensation settlement of over $13,000.00 in addition to the third-party settlement.

$239,000.00 Workers Compensation Settlement based upon Wage Differential

Steven J. Morton & Associates recently settled a worker’s compensation claim for $239,000.00. Our client had suffered a left elbow ligament tear w/ surgery resulting from an on-the-job injury.  After treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation, he was unable to fully return to his occupation. Our client was persistent in trying to obtain a different job and eventually found employment, but the difference between the job he obtained and the job he could no longer perform allowed our office to demand that the employer compensate him for the difference in the wages earned. We were able to secure a settlement that allowed for his resulting medical bills to be paid, as well as compensation his wage differential.

Slip and Fall Claim Settled for Policy Limits

Our client had left her apartment on a typical winter day in Chicago.   Unfortunately, her landlord failed to maintain the common area walkway of her building.  Our client slipped and fell and sustained major injuries as a result of her fall.  Her landlord had been advised of the condition for quite some time, and failed to remedy the situation.  Steven J. Morton & Associates was able to obtain the full value of the homeowner’s insurance policy for our client.

"Dash-Out" Claim Settled for Policy Limits

A six year old boy “dashed-out” into the street while he was playing with his brother.  Tragically, an out-of-control motorist failed to notice the boy and hit him with his car. The boy suffered severe internal injuries as a result of the driver’s negligence.  In representing the mother of the injured boy, Steven J. Morton & Associates was recently able to bring a prompt conclusion to a tragic claim by compelling the defendant’s insurance company to tender the driver’s insurance policy limits of $100,000.00.